A BUDGET hotel giant is eyeing a picturesque tourist village to build a new branch.

Travelodge yesterday announced plans to open 37 sites near to the UK’s 15 national parks. Betws y Coed in Conwy county is on the list as a potential location to build a new lodge.

The most popular Travelodge sites have included Porthmadog, Snowdonia, Barnstaple (Exmoor), Cockermouth (Lake District) and Scarborough (North Yorkshire Moors).

But the business community in Betws y Coed may need some convincing it is a good idea.

Yesterday Gerry McMorrow who co-runs The Eagles in Betws y Coed said: “Although we are not in direct competition, I think on balance it would not be good for local businesses.”

The group, which currently has 475 hotels in the UK, Ireland and Spain, said the £135m expansion drive was in response to high customer demand for hotels close to the UK’s top rural locations and as holiday makers look increasingly to holiday in Britain.

Its property team will also focus efforts on finding sites near to locations such as Aviemore, Cairngorms, Grasmere, Lake District, and Minehead, Exmoor, as well as Betws y Coed.

Chief executive Guy Parsons said more Britons were holidaying at home than ever before.

He added: “Traditionally, Britons have opted for a coastal or city break but as more Britons explore the UK they are rediscovering new holiday hotspots and, as a result, we have seen a significant surge in rural breaks.” Travelodge said its existing hotels within a wide radius of the main national parks achieved high occupancy levels far earlier than normal this year.

The planned hotels will range from 30 rooms to over 100 bedrooms, depending on the location and building requirements.

It is expected the expansion will create more than 500 jobs across the UK.

As part of the development drive, Travelodge has recently exchanged contracts on a hotel in Glossop in the Peak District.

The budget hotel brand, which launched in the UK in 1985, has plans to grow its estate to 1,100 hotels and 100,000 rooms by 2025.